Twins vs. Royals Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/26/2022

Luis Arraez, batting .347 this season, leads the Minnesota Twins (27-17) into a matchup with one of the league’s other top hitters, Andrew Benintendi (.327 AVG) and the Kansas City Royals (14-28). Arraez and the Twins are -186 favorites on the moneyline for the matchup at Target Field, beginning at 7:40 PM ET. Minnesota’s Devin Smeltzer gets the start, and he’ll go against Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch.

Twins vs. Royals Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Twins vs. Royals

Our computer pick: Kansas City Royals (+159) and Over (7.5)

Twins vs. Royals Game Info

• Minnesota Twins probable starting pitcher: Devin Smeltzer
• Kansas City Royals probable starting pitcher: Daniel Lynch
• Game Day: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• Game Time: 7:40 PM ET
• Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Stadium: Target Field

Minnesota Twins vs Kansas City Royals Pitching Matchup

Twins Starter Devin Smeltzer

• The Twins will look to Smeltzer (1-0) in his third start this season.
• His most recent appearance came on Saturday against the Kansas City Royals, when the lefty tossed 5 1/3 innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing five hits.
• He has a 1.74 ERA and 1.7 strikeouts per nine innings while opponents are batting .229 against him over his two games this season.
• Smeltzer will look to pitch five or more innings for his third straight appearance. He’s averaging 5.1 innings per outing.
• He will face a Royals offense that ranks 17th in MLB with 334 total hits (on a .235 batting average). The team also slugs a collective .362 (21st in MLB) with 32 total home runs (26th in MLB).
• In 5 1/3 innings over one appearance against the Royals this season, Smeltzer has a 1.69 ERA and a 1.125 WHIP while his opponents are hitting .278.

Royals Starter Daniel Lynch

• Lynch (2-3) will take to the mound for the Royals and make his eighth start of the season.
• The left-hander gave up four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings pitched on Saturday in his last outing, a matchup with the Minnesota Twins.
• The 25-year-old has an ERA of 4.01 and 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings with an opponent batting average of .240 in seven games this season.
• He has earned a quality start one time in seven starts this season.
• In seven starts, Lynch has pitched through or past the fifth inning five times. He has a season average of 4.2 frames per outing.
• The Twins have scored 187 runs this season, which ranks 13th in MLB. They have 348 hits, 10th in baseball, with 43 home runs (13th in the league).
• This season, the left-hander has pitched against the Twins in two games, and they have gone 9-for-34 with a double and four RBI over 8 2/3 innings.

Twins Betting Picks & Insights

• The Twins have entered the game as favorites 27 times this season and won 20, or 74.1%, of those games.
• Minnesota has entered six games this season favored by -186 or more and is 5-1 in those contests.
• The moneyline for this contest implies a 65% chance of a victory for the Twins.
• Games involving Minnesota have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 18 of 44 chances this season.
• The Twins are 21-23-0 against the spread this season.

Royals Betting Picks & Insights

• The Royals have been victorious in 13, or 33.3%, of the 39 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• The Royals have won all of their eight games in which they were named as at least a +159 moneyline underdog.
• The Royals have an implied victory probability of 38.6% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
• Kansas City’s games have gone over the total in 22 of their 46 opportunities.
• In 46 games with a line this season, the Royals have a mark of 19-27-0 against the spread.

Twins Leaders & Batting Stats

• Max Kepler is hitting .248 with six doubles, six home runs and 22 walks.
• Kepler is 46th in home runs and 44th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Arraez has a club-leading .347 batting average.
• Arraez is 269th in homers and 196th in RBI among all major league hitters this year.
• Arraez has five straight games with at least one hit. In his last five games he is batting .526 with four walks and two RBI.
• Byron Buxton has launched a team-high 11 home runs.
• Jorge Polanco has capitalized on opportunities as he leads his team with 24 RBI.
• Polanco is riding a two-game hitting streak into this one. In his last five games he is batting .222 with four walks and three RBI.

Royals Leaders & Batting Stats

• Benintendi leads the Royals with 18 runs batted in while putting up a team-high batting average of .327.
• Benintendi is 199th in home runs and 96th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Benintendi takes a hitting streak of eight games into this game. In his last 10 games he is hitting .359 with three doubles, six walks and three RBI.
• Whit Merrifield has driven in the most runs for the Royals with 18 runs batted in.
• Merrifield is 147th in homers and 96th in RBI among all batters in the big leagues.
• Hunter Dozier is batting .273 with nine doubles, two triples, five home runs and 11 walks.
• Bobby Witt Jr. has driven in the most runs for the Royals with 18 runs batted in.

Betting Tips for Twins vs. Royals

Our best bet is the Royals on the moneyline at +159 after looking at all of the key trends and stats for this matchup. Our computer predicts the scoring will over the total of 7.5 runs.